


Love is a kind of Narcissism

by monsterkiss



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Asexuality, F/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-28 12:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsterkiss/pseuds/monsterkiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"...man clings to a dim hope," his voice whispered, and the smile on the mask was a hollow rictus of the one she remembered. Five Minako/Ryoji drabbles, slight canon divergence in the final one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love is a kind of Narcissism

She felt it before she saw him, before she registered Aigis tense up with reflexes forged over dozens of battles. Like a sudden hitch in her subconscious that ground her thoughts to a halt when she looked up and saw his pale, smiling face. Ms Toriumi pointed him to a seat, and he sauntered towards her.

Aigis growled, “dangerous,” and her instincts didn’t argue. But the overwhelming feeling was pity, _oh, he’s playing at being a real boy,_ and a moment later didn’t understand why. He smiled at her and she smiled back, though smiling was usually hard these days.

 

***

 

“You too?”

She yawned and shuffled around in her seat until Ryoji’s beaming face came into view. “Huh?”

“I saw that Junpei was a complete mess this morning, but it’s a surprise to see you and Yukari so rough and tired. Normally you two light up the classroom!”

She smiled thinly. Visits to Tartarus were getting more and more trying, but it wasn’t as if they had any other options right now. “I’ll try to look a little more radiant tomorrow, ‘kay?”

He laughed, “can’t wait,” then stopped, concerned. “Hey, is that a bruise?”

She was already walking away, wincing.

 

***

 

“Just one more,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his neck, feeling him swallow.

“I know I kinda flirt a lot, and I really like you, but I don’t know if… eheh, is really for me, you know?”

“That’s fine, I just…” no, it had passed. She put an arm around him and sighed softly.

“I’m sorry if I’m disappointing you-”

“No, really.” She kissed him again, softly, rested her head on his shoulder, squeezed his arm gently. The strands of that feeling, the sense of connection turning in on itself, as if she were touching, kissing, herself, slipping away.

 

***

 

She rolled over and flailed an arm listlessly until she found her mobile phone and silenced the alarm with a click. Something was digging into her back, and in the faint morning light bleeding through the curtains she pulled out her Evoker, and remembered.

She stared at the ceiling, pressing it to her chest. She could hear movement, doors banging as the dorm awoke, and they’d want to see her. She needed to go and smile and help them believe that they’d made the right decision.

The ring on her finger felt like a chain, a noose. “Happy new year.”

 

***

 

“C’mon, one more date! It’ll be romantic!”

“I can’t, I told you,” she squeezed his hand, nodding to Bunkichi across the street, “it’s a thing with my friends, it’s important.”

“More important than me? Than us?” He sighed in mock dismay.

“Not more important. But I made a promise. It’s not like,” she smiled, “not like I’ll never see you again.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t let that happen.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sticking to you like glue until the end, never doubt it.”

“And I don’t.” She pulled away, straightened his scarf. “But Graduation Day is taken for me.”


End file.
